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Parks Canada and Roam Transit have announced increased public transit service to Lake Minnewanka, Upper Lake Louise and Moraine Lake to help ease congestion and parking concerns in Banff National Park leading into the busy 2017 tourist season.

As part of a two-year pilot, Roam Public Transit service from the town of Banff to Lake Minnewanka will be conducted from the Victoria Day long weekend to mid-September.

Public transit options expanded in Banff National Park to reduce traffic, improve accessibilityBack to video

Furthermore, Parks Canada’s free Lake Louise shuttle service from the Lake Louise overflow parking lot to Upper Lake Louise will now run seven days a week from May 19 to Sept. 10. The service will have increased hours, beginning at 8 a.m. and running until 6 p.m. at 15-minute intervals so hikers can take advantage of earlier shuttle times.

Traffic and parking congestion at popular locations in Banff, such as Moraine Lake and Upper Lake Louise, have become major issues for Parks Canada, the town of Banff and the village of Lake Louise. Last year on the Canada Day long weekend, the RCMP had to briefly shut down access to Lake Louise from the Trans-Canada Highway because of the high volume of vehicles.

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Concerns have become more urgent in 2017 as the government of Canada has led massive domestic and international marketing campaigns to draw more visitors to national parks during the country’s sesquicentennial year, including the offering of free national park passes for 2017.

According to Parks Canada, these new initiatives are intended to promote eco-friendly behaviour, reduce traffic congestion and improve accessibility to key areas of the park.

“Parks Canada is pleased to announce this new initiative,” said Dave McDonough, superintendent of Banff National Park. “This transit service expansion is an environmentally friendly way to ensure visitors have a positive experience for 2017 and beyond.”

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A representative from Improvement District No. 9, the municipal government entity that administers the village of Lake Louise, could not be reached for comment.

The Minnewanka public transit will be hourly service from 8:15 a.m. to approximately 9 p.m. with a cost of $4 return. It will connect the town of Banff to locations around the Lake Minnewanka loop, including at Two Jack Lake and the entrance to Johnson Lake. The stop locations are still to be finalized.

“It will give the opportunity for campers to leave their vehicles and come into town, as well as visitors and residents in Banff to be able to go out and enjoy the Lake Minnewanka and other stops along the way,” said Martin Bean, chief administrative officer of the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission.

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The cash fare for the Minnewanka service will not be included with monthly Roam passes.

Parks Canada will invest $870,000 over two years to cover the purchase of a new Roam bus and operating costs of the service for the two-year Lake Minnewanka public transit service trial.

A view of Lake Minnewanka during a hike in June 2015.Colette Derworiz/Calgary Herald archives

Connecting as many areas as possible in the park is a major component of Roam’s strategic plan, says Bean.

“The Lake Minnewanka (service) was an easier one to implement, being able to start with just one bus and hourly service and proximity to Banff, so we began conversations with Parks Canada early last year just to move through the development and implementation plan,” he said. “Both Parks Canada and ourselves have the same goal as to reduce the number of cars and to open up access for people without cars.”

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Bean says the two-year Lake Minnewanka transit service pilot is intended to determine its feasibility and whether it can be continued in the future.

Parks Canada is also leading a co-ordinated approach with the Town of Banff, community of Lake Louise, Banff Lake Louise Tourism and other stakeholders to manage the expected increase of visitors to Banff National Park this year.

Some of the initiatives they will undertake include providing timely information to visitors before they arrive and during their stay to better help them plan their trips, increase law enforcement and prevention activities to address potential parking and congestion issues, expand traffic management procedures, staff and flaggers during the busy summer months and enhance their web presence to inform visitors in real-time of the congestion at popular areas in the park.

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Banff town Coun. Stavros Karlos, who has been critical of Parks Canada in recent months due to its perceived lackadaisical approach in helping the town alleviate issues with traffic and congestion, says this move is a step in the right direction towards promoting public transit as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the national park.

“I think it will have a massive impact on both the ecological integrity and the visitor experience in the national park,” he said. “I think it’s critical to Banff National Park in the 21st century. It just shows that they’re taking it extremely seriously and they’re buying into a new vision for the national park.”

Bean says Roam is continuing to work with ID9 and Parks Canada to implement public transit service between the communities of Banff and Lake Louise next year.

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